Ludwig drums now available on Dolphin Music!

There’s a reason the world’s best drummers are playing Ludwig drums. Because for 90 years, Ludwig has designed and crafted their drum kits and components with both eyes on quality, and both ears on sound. The Ludwig sound is inimitable. The look? To say they look good is simply an understatement.

But that beauty is more than skin deep. Ludwig knows that along with your music comes a long series of setups, performances, tear downs and moves. So they build their kits to keep looking and sounding good, gig after gig after gig.

Then there’s the powerful new five-piece Zep Set. With its big bass drum and dual floor toms, it’s true to the original Ludwig kit played by legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. The striking Vistalite Transparent Amber Zep Set is also available.

Play a piece of history

It has been called the most important event in the history of rock music and Ludwig was right there.

The date was Sunday, February 9, 1964, at 8 p.m. (ET). An unprecedented audience of 73 million excited Americans huddled around their glowing Philco and RCA sets to behold the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. On a “mod” elevated round stage, behind his three mop-topped mates from Liverpool, Ringo Starr sat behind a gorgeous four-piece Ludwig set. Ringo swung outsome rock-steady rhythm to Beatles’ hits including ”All My Loving,” ”Till There Was You,” ”She Loves You,” ”I Saw Her Standing There,” and ”I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

from left: Ringo Starr and his Ludwig Maple Drum Kit; and one example of Ludwig's fantastic range of Classic Maple kits - in Black Oyster, like Ringo's

The rest is rock history, but it was just another great chapter in the history of Ludwig. For the Ludwig name had already been on quality drum products since 1901.

The new Fab Four Classic Maple kit is going to make history again and you can easily own one.

Ludwig Classic Maple Fab 4 Kit: You’ll love it, yeah, yeah, yeah

These are beautifully crafted drums. They feature stunning maple shells and are available in over 24 different finishes. The Ludwig 800-series hardware is sturdy and finished flawlessly.

The classic Weather Master heads and Mini-Classic lugs (Classic or long lugs are an option) will easily let you tune the drums to your particular preference. But you can bet your best backbeat you’ll be able to reproduce that vintage big ’60s sound.

The 14” x 20” bass drum does an exceptional job of delivering that big, booming muffled attack and expanded decay. The two toms are virtually overtone free and quite responsive. The 6” deep wood snare drum is a real jewel. Its shell resonance is bright and controlled. The Supra-Phonic strainer adds just the right touch of ’60s sizzle to the sound. VIEW DETAILS

Another of Ludwig’s Classic masterpieces in Maple is the Zep Set. It’s a kit that’s fit for a posthumous tribute to metal master John Bonham.

Not only is the Zep Set configured much like Bonzo’s original Ludwig kit (before the clear Ludwig Vista Lites he later played), it’s apparently built to deliver the kind of power and projection that made the Led Zeppelin drummer a real rock pioneer.

With blazing bass-drum barrages, punishing tom strokes, and explosive snare licks, Bonham deftly moved the groove laid down by bassist John Paul Jones. Bonham played “big” and Ludwig’s new Zep Set is made to project that kind of work. You get that huge 26” bass drum, 18” and 16” floor toms, a mounted 14” tom and a magnificent 6-1/2”-deep, 14” Supra-Phonic snare in brilliant polished metal.

The 9-ply/6mm maple shells are available in the same marvelous finishes as the Fab Four kit. The Ludwig 900 series hardware is first rate and ready to rock. VIEW DETAILS

Ludwig Vistalite John Bonham Reissue Drum Set:

The Amber Vistalites where used by John Bonham between 1973 and 1975. One of the reasons for using this set was because of it's sheer volume it produces. It's a LOUD set and even louder with the big drum sizes. One of the problems back in those days was that the PA and drum mikes just weren't that good. Drummers at the time were having trouble being loud enough.

Ludwig has re-release the Vistalite Amber set in the form that John Bonham in The Song Remains The Same. This classic drum set consists of a 26"x14"D kick drum which was one of the major components to the John Bonham sound. Big, Bombastic, and Loud! The set also comes with a 14"x10"D tom and tom stand. This is how Bonham had it because he hit the toms so hard after a short while the mount on the original ludwigs would bend. It also has a 16"x16"D and 18"x16"Depth floor toms. This was again what he usually used when they played live. It also includes a 14"x6.5"Depth Supra-Phonic snare drum and snare stand.

John Henry Bonham known for his incredible 20 minute drum solos was the drummer for the legendary Led Zeppelin. Next to Ringo Starr he has had the greatest influence on Rock drumming ever! Every heavy metal drummer weather they know it or not has at least one John Bonham drum riff.

If you've ever done a triplet starting with the KICK - FLOOR TOM - MOUNTED TOM you're doing a John Bonham riff. Now do that at an incredible speed with numerous variations and continue for at least 20 minutes.

John Bonham played without sticks which is painful if you've ever tried (unless you're really drunk or ?). His style of drumming was more of to make Godz of Thor proud. His thunderous and powerful playing conjurs up visions of the raw naked elements FIRE, AIR, WATER, and EARTH. His conribution to drumming is tremendous and at the time Revolutionary/Visionary.

The ultimate drum set. That's what John Bonham thought, and so did the millions of people spellbound by his astoundingly powerful performance in 'The Song Remains the Same." This is the exact kit, painstakingly reproduced right down to the gold sparkle bass drum hoops. This limited reissue kit features classic spurs, legs, and brackets; large classic lugs; T-rods and claws on the bass; gold sparkle inlays; and blue and olive badges. VIEW DETAILS

American beauties

Both the Fab Four and the John Bonham-inspired Zep Set are musical marvels that are manufactured in Ludwig’s Monroe, NC, plant. As you would expect from a drum-making legend like Ludwig, the finish, fit, and sonic integrity of these sets is impeccable. They are a must-have for gigging drum artists and collectors with a flair for the nostalgic. Because of the modern design technology employed, you can tune these sets to suit whatever style of music you’re playing. But the classic looks are simply timeless.

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